And here’s another thought: I question whether Harris-Perry actually needed to apologize in the first place.

After noting that both Alec Baldwin and Martin Bashir had recently left MSNBC in the wake of highly controversial comments, CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield said “some are calling for Melissa Harris-Perry to be fired.”

Not sure who “some” of the people are, but Harris-Perry, brilliant thinker and analyst should stay in her anchor chair.

Harris-Perry came under fire after joking about a photo of the Romney family while Romney held his black grandson on his knee. The panelists on Harris-Perry’s show joked about the baby being the only black person in the picture.

Comedian Dean Obeidallah said: “It sums up the diversity of the Republican Party and the [Republican National Committee], where they have the whole convention and they find the one black person.”

Harris-Perry said the baby is “gorgeous,” and she said she imagined what would happen if Kieran and North West got married and Mitt Romney and Kanye West were in-laws.

That’s an offense for which Harris-Perry should be fired?

I don’t think so.

Moreover, it was comedian Obeidallah who initiated the truthful and uncomfortable truth: That the Republican Party is overwhelmingly white and lacks racial diversity.

I believe Harris-Perry showed integrity by apologizing – and perhaps her superiors at MSNBC were relieved by her apology. But since Obeidallah made the joke, it really wasn’t incumbent on Harris-Perry to apologize for him.